Jonathan Harvey: Laus Deo
Francis Pott: Introduction, Toccata and Fugue
John Bertalot: Variations for Pedals on Regent Square
Percy Whitlock: Sonata in C Minor

To say that the 1969 Walker Pipe Organ in Blackburn Cathedral is an impressive instrument would be quite an understatement. Combined with the building's cavernous interior, its over 60 stops (20 of which reserved strictly for the pedals) ranging from a 1' Octavin to 32' Contra Bass and Serpent, can generate a sonic blast that could raise the dead.

The purpose of this recording is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organ (somewhat overshadowed by the pandemic) with works that chronologically coincide with the instrument's history. As the booklet notes point out: "Jonathan Harvey's work Laus Deo was composed in 1969, the year the iconic Walker Organ was designed and built. Francis Pott's Introduction, Toccata and Fugue was composed in 2002, the year the Wood rebuild was completed, while John Bertalot's Variations for Pedals on Regent Square were composed to celebrate the new and enlarged pedal division put in at the time. Percy Whitlock's monumental Organ Sonata was completed in 1936, the year ground was broken on the new buildings at Blackburn Cathedral."

Laus Deo (Praise God), with its abruptly loud and dissonant chords followed by barely audible passages, well demonstrates this organ's very wide dynamic range. And who needs to take a brisk walk every morning when all you need to do is perform Variations for Pedals on Regent Square on a regular basis to stay in shape. A set of brilliant and increasingly difficult variations on the hymn tune Regent Square (Angels From the Realms of Glory) which require some agile and fancy footwork from the organist, including a series of glissandos (yes, foot glissandos). And with this organ's impressive range of stop combinations in the pedals, you would swear that the manuals were involved but they're not. Only at the very end of the final variation, the hands jump in to bring everything to a highly dramatic close which, when played loud enough, could relocate those pesky neighbors. There's a video on YouTube of this performance by John Robinson that is well worth watching. And the Canzona movement from the Sonata in C Minor shows that even a beast of a pipe organ can have a gentle side.

John Robinson is the Organist and Director of Music at Blackburn Cathedral, as well as the Director of the Blackburn Music Society and the Blackburn Chamber Choir. All the pieces on this recording are played with assured musicianship, and the finely engineered audio well captures both the organ's amplitude as well as the building's scope.